JH English Monthly Writing Competitions: Recent Episodes
Dukebox Radio
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Helen Lin This month we have a special JH Writing Competition hosted by both the English Department and Science Department! This competition aligned with our Annual Science Week. Pupils were tasked with writing, ‘The Journey of a Red Blood Cell’, which asked pupils to [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Andy Jin This month we have a special JH Writing Competition hosted by both the English Department and Science Department! This competition aligned with our Annual Science Week. Pupils were tasked with writing, ‘The Journey of a Red Blood Cell’, which asked pupils [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – George Liu & Raymond Zhu Our JH Monthly Writing Competition continues! We’re very pleased to share poetry from our winning writers in January’s competition, ‘Celebrating the New Year’, which asked pupils to write a poem celebrating the festivities of the most special holiday of [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Yoyo Yu Our JH Monthly Writing Competition continues! We’re very pleased to share poetry from our winning writers in January’s competition, ‘Celebrating the New Year’, which asked pupils to write a poem celebrating the festivities of the most special holiday of the year. We’re [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Helen Lin Our JH Monthly Writing Competition continues! We’re very pleased to share an article from our winning writer in December’s competition, ‘Charity Begins at Home’, which asked pupils to write an article on whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, ‘One’s first [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Alex Mao Our JH Monthly Writing Competition continues! We’re very pleased to share an article from our winning writer in December’s competition, ‘Charity Begins at Home’, which asked pupils to write an article on whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, ‘One’s first [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Ajax Li Our JH Monthly Writing Competition continues! We’re very pleased to share a film review from our winning writers in November’s competition, ‘Film Reviews, which asked pupils to write a review of a recent film they’ve seen We’re proud of our winners: Ajax [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Karen Zhang Our JH Monthly Writing Competition continues! We’re very pleased to share stories from our winning writers in October’s competition, ‘Spooky Stories’, which challenged pupils to write a story that evokes terror! We’re proud of our winners: Tina Chen (1st place) in Grade [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Tina Chen Our JH Monthly Writing Competition continues! We’re very pleased to share stories from our winning writers in October’s competition, ‘Spooky Stories’, which challenged pupils to write a story that evokes terror! We’re proud of our winners: Tina Chen (1st place) in [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Jewelry Zhang Our new series of Huili JH Monthly Writing Competitions hosted by the Secondary English Department is underway! We’re very pleased to introduce the publication of our first series winners. September’s competition, ‘Why Study the Arts?’, challenged pupils to write an essay reflecting [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Grace Xin Our new series of Huili JH Monthly Writing Competitions hosted by the Secondary English Department is underway! We’re very pleased to introduce the publication of our first series winners. September’s competition, ‘Why Study the Arts?’, challenged pupils to write an essay [...]
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Tina Li *Huili JH English Department have held their final writing competition of the year! This month’s challenge was ‘Descriptive Essay,’ and pupils were challenged to write a descriptive account of encountering a fierce animal in the wild. Tina Li from 9C clawed her way to victory with her descriptive narrative that captured the dangers of the wild. We welcome you to listen to her interview with her English teacher, Ms. Cannaby, as Tina shares her experience writing this article.
We will return next year with a brand-new JH Writing Competition series! We look forward to your participation. In the meantime, have a fantastic summer and watch out for wild animals!*
This Episode Is In English
Enjoy
First Place Article Below;
On a green bus, I traveled across the African savannah with a couple of friends. The driver took us north so that we could see wild animals that were scattered here and there on the boundless dark yellow grasslands.
Suddenly, from the distance there came a roar. "That sounds like a lion!" Alex said excitedly. Immediately, I heard the babble of many voices on our bus. The driver seemed to fully understand our intention and headed to the source of that roar.
After about ten minutes of driving, the lions could be seen. Even though I had seen lions earlier inside the zoo, it was still very thrilling to see them in the wild. I raised my camera to take pictures. From the lens, I saw two male lions, three lionesses, and a cub. Next to them, there was a carcass of a dead bull, which had been pretty much eaten. It looked like they had just finished eating, I thought. The lionesses were playing with the cub and grooming it. The males were lying on the ground and looking into the distance; it seemed that they were detecting if there were enemies in the vicinity.
Soon, I noticed that one male lion stood up and looked straight at us. He seemed alert and as if he would run to us at any time. "I think we should not be too close to the lions," I warned the driver.
"Right! Tina!" The driver agreed as he pulled the car a little further away from the lions.
From a distance, we continued to watch the lions and take photos of them. As the sun went down, the appearance of the lions in my camera gradually blurred. It was replaced by some very good-looking black contours, and under the golden and scarlet sunset, I felt as if I had seen the scene in the movie. The lions finally walked away before the sun disappeared.
On my way back, I still felt my heart throbbing. It was a short meet with the lions, but I believed it would be immortal in my mind.
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Grace Xin
Huili JH English Department have held their final writing competition of the year! This month’s challenge was ‘Descriptive Essay,’ and pupils were challenged to write a descriptive account of encountering a fierce animal in the wild. Grace Xin from 7A returns again as the runner-up for this month’s challenge! Her descriptive essay is full of sensory language and precise word choice. We welcome you to listen to her interview with her English teacher, Mr Speers, as Grace shares her experience writing this article. We will return next year with a brand-new JH Writing Competition series! We look forward to your participation. In the meantime, have a fantastic summer and watch out for wild animals!
This Episode Is In English
Enjoy
Second Place Article Below;
WRITING COMPETITION-THE LION (GRACE XIN)
I am a novice photographer working for National Geography, and I have just been given such one of the most exciting assignments of my life--to spend a week taking pictures of the African prairie! I arrived in the darkness, so that was not much I could see. However, I could smell the distinctive aroma of wet grass, implying recent precipitation.
I was awoken by something icy and furry on my face, and it was moving across my face and downward toward my mouth. It felt like a tarantula. I screamed at the top of my lungs. My scream was echoed by the deafening roar of a lion so clamorous that it nearly broke my eardrum.
I have never heard a ferocious roar in my life. Curious to see what magnificent creature could produce such a commanding roar, I quickly grabbed my camera and rushed downstairs.
There it was. Resting in the sun’s glory, the Lion looked at me contemptuously with the disdain of an animal who is keenly aware of its utmost superiority. A majestic presence approximately 3 meters tall and 260 kg, its golden fur glistened in the sun. Its topaz eyes conveyed extraordinary intelligence. The profound darkness of its pupils declared its power over me, and doubtlessly all the other creatures on the African prairie. Its smell of power and death sent a tremor of primal fear through me. It remained still enough to entrance me and my camera. I stood hypnotized while my experienced hands continued to take a picture of this awe-inspiring creature.
The Lion gave another roar, this time less loud but still loud enough to frighten all the other animals in its surrounding. It was as if the Lion was merely testing its power. I stood in awe as I witnessed all the other animals scurrying away.
There was one unfortunate zebra who didn’t move fast enough. Or perhaps the zebra was stunned by the redoubtable form of the Lion. It stood dumbfounded as the Lion approached to give the Zebra one fatal bite on the neck. The zebra fell silently to the ground, blood gushing soundlessly from its neck. The glaring red stained the emerald greenness of the verdant grass. The metallic smell of the blood was pungent in the air. I was instantly reminded of Christmas’s red and green theme, doubtlessly a Christmassy feast for the Lion.
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Alice Mao, Jerry Li, and Grace Xin
Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold monthly writing competitions. March and April’s challenge, ‘Informational Leaflet on Qingming Festival’, was to write an informational leaflet aimed at Junior High pupils in English-speaking countries and educate them about this special time of the year in China. We’re very pleased to have our winners with us today: Alice Mao (1st), Jerry Li (2nd), and Grace Xin (3rd)! We welcome you to listen to the three of them interview together with Mr. Speers as they share their perspectives on the writing process and this special festival.
Alice Mao's leaflet below;
Grace Xin's Leaflet below;
Jerry Li's Leaflet below;
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions!
JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Angela Sun
Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold monthly writing competitions. February’s challenge, ‘Down With the Internet’, was to write a persuasive article to argue in favour of or in opposition to the following statement: “The internet is negatively impacting how we live our daily lives, forcing us to live in a virtual world rather than the real world.” We’re very pleased to have Angela Sun from G8E with us today who earned third place in the competition! We welcome you to please listen to Angela as she interviews with Mr. Dean and shares her perspective!
Third place article below;
Down with the Internet by Angela Sun
In modern society, Internet permeated in every second of our life, people and Internet are inseparable. Undeniable, Internet is a great invention of human-being, it promotes the development of society massively. However, the negative effect of it is also tremendous, especially for teenager.
The forerunner of the Internet is ARPA, established in 1969, connected four major computers in United State, and the main purpose is to provides users with valuable resources to share the computers since there were only few of them in that time. With the increase of the number of computers, more and more people use the Internet as a tool for communication, the potential of Internet was tapped. As the invention of portable computer and mobile phone, Internet became gradually commercial and entertaining, lots of attracting apps start appeared, such as games, videos, social medias…… These functions have strong attraction, even adults can’t refuse it, not to say children. Therefore, people are easy be addicted to Internet.
I believe everyone have heard a word from our senior: Health is the most important thing in our life. In fact, Internet is bad for our health. Internet is the digital net connects electronic devices, thus, the “electronic devices” is necessity. When people using them, they must bend and lower their head, which would lead to neck and waist pain; also, they usually sit for a long time, and sedentary is totally bad for human body, will cause lots of symptom, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease……Furthermore, stare at screen too long time would result in short-sighted and dry eyes.
Of course, Internet not only affects our physical body, also influence our mind. Now, I want to tell a story of my own. When I was younger, I had used a social media called Weibo, it is similar with Instagram. I participated a fans club of a popular star. I understood lots of professional and fashionable words, and I saw everyone have different status on Internet. I discovered it is depending on the amount fans and comment. Under the vanity, I did everything I can to increase these numbers, of course, I spent a load of times. Whether I got the result I want or not, which I didn’t, it is a huge waste of efforts and time.
Moreover, violent can also happen on internet. Because the internet users are anonymous, people can do whatever they want and do things they never dare to do in reality. The dark side of human is horrible, it’s bottomless. Cyberbully is very common on internet, people usually humiliate and revile the victim in an inhuman and crazy way. Lots of people are suffer from cyberbully, it would dramatically affect their mental health. On the Internet, people are often irrational and easily influenced by others' opinion. All kinds of rumours always appear, because it is no cost, and often touch a blank area of existing law. What’s more, some person who harbour unkind thoughts would hire big number of users saying specific comments to impact ordinary users’ thought. Virtually, your thoughts may also be affected, even become a cyber perpetrator unconsciously.
Therefore, in my view, the cons of internet are inconceivable. As an adolescent, I believe keep distance from internet is necessary. We can not imagine how much harm the Internet will bring to us.
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Information Leaflet on Qing Ming Festival.” We also have the “Wellington English Competition” across our Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Shanghai campuses.
“JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Andy Jin” Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold monthly writing competitions. February’s challenge, ‘Down With the Internet’, was to write a persuasive article to argue in favour of or in opposition to the following statement: “The internet is negatively impacting how we live our daily lives, forcing us to live in a virtual world rather than the real world.” We’re very pleased to have Andy Jin from G8A with us today who earned second place in the competition! We welcome you to please listen to Andy as he interviews with Mr Speers and shares his perspective! Second Place Article Below; Internet: What is it? The future & Whether it is Good or Bad By Andy Jin
Internet, or a network of networks is now acting as an unreplaceable part of our daily life. When you wake up in the morning, your phone will deliver news from all over the world via internet. When you are hungry, you order a takeaway using internet. When you are calling others through phone, you are using internet again. If you are a child, you will be told by your parents to leave the virtual world on the internet. Internet is now not just important for people, but even fatal! Although there are lots of advantages of the internet, many people still have no idea what it is and if it a good thing or not.
The internet was invented during the cold war by the United States. At that time, the internet was just a network of computers to ensure if the USSR uses nuclear weapons on the US, the US’s nuclear weapons will fight back. This is totally different to the internet we know now. The internet we know now is developed after the introduction of personal computers and smart phones. The internet we are familiar with became visible to the general public at around 1990s. The internet then grew at a shocking speed since the introduction of PCs and smart phones. Now many people all over the world have become addicted to the visual world created by mass medias, games, and videos on the internet. Many people argue that internet is bad as it stops people from spending time without a screen. They claims that it is especially true for teenagers, as they are immature, and are unable to control themselves from getting to be too addicted to the internet.
Many people think that visual world is bad for us, and the visual world should be closed or at least make less addictive to teenagers, but these people haven’t considered a fact: these games, social media and short videos are all driven by the huge market on the internet. This means it is impossible to stop them. So, the next question becomes whose fault is it. Is it the user’s fault or is it the company’s fault or is it the internet’s fault? As the company’s goal is just money, there is no reason the blame them, as no one will hate getting more money. As for the internet, who will blame a medium? It is just like blaming a gun for committing a crime instead of blaming the actual criminal. This leads to the question of who to blame for the users. The users cannot control themselves to get addicted and cannot use the internet-the tool-in the right way. This way we can make our conclusion: internet is a great thing; it is a fantastic tool that can boost our efficiency. The only thing wrong with the internet is that its users kept making mistakes, decreasing their efficiency.
For the future of the internet, it will change from connecting smart devices and people to connecting almost everything. This is already happening: many furniture, television, and lights now support being controlled directly using your phone instead of a lot of switches. The future of the internet will definitely become brighter and more useful. This will increase the quality of life from every perspective, from faster and safer transportation to better health care, the internet will become the best thing human have ever invented in the foreseeable future.
In conclusion, the internet should not be blamed for its users becoming addicted to it. The users were responsible for their own health and not being trapped in the world of internet. Other than being addictive, the internet also offers many really useful tools: cloud storage, video conferences and also chatting software. The internet is now becoming more and more useful in the last few years and will continue to become even more useful in the future.
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Information Leaflet on Qing Ming Festival.” We also have the “Wellington English Competition” across our Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Shanghai campuses.
“JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – John Li” Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold monthly writing competitions. February’s challenge, ‘Down With the Internet’, was to write a persuasive article to argue in favour of or in opposition to the following statement: “The internet is negatively impacting how we live our daily lives, forcing us to live in a virtual world rather than the real world.” We’re very pleased to have John Li from G9D with us today who earned first place in the competition! We welcome you to please listen to John as he interviews with Ms. Taylor and shares his perspective!
First Place Article Below;
Down With the Internet
By John Li
Nowadays, internet is inseparable from our daily life. Everything we do, and everything we use relates to the internet. We use WeChat to in touch with others, we make phone calls to talk to others which far away from us. Internet makes the world more convenient and closer. However, everything in the world has two aspects, one positive and one negative. Internet also in line with this rule. Is the internet bringing more positives for human or more negatives? Let’s find out.
To start off, let’s look at these data, ’people spent 6 to 7 hours on the internet every day for working and entertaining.’ We can analyse the data to get further information. Taking away the amount of time people sleep, we have 14 to 16 hours to do work or other things, therefore, the time people spend on the internet is around 37.5% to 50% of their daytime. This is not a good result. It suggests people are indulging with the internet. This is unhealthy both mentally and physically. When a children become an adult, they will have less time to do exercises, which are at the minimum time a person needs exercising a week. Meanwhile, the developing of the internet has let the situation become worse. People a sitting on the chair and staring at the monitor. This will cause RSI (repetitive strain injury), a word we use in ICT for physical damage to the body. Long time sit and lack of the movement could cause the backflow of the blood in the veins, which would be very dangerous, because you brain might not get much oxygen it needs to work. Besides, look at the monitor too long will cause short-sightedness, which would harmful and painful to do the treatments. As what I said before, the internet will not only effect physically but also mentally. Cyberbullying is not rare when we are using the internet. Because people on the internet are almost anonymous, so it is easier to type the unkind words on the internet rather than say it directly to a real man. This causes a huge number of the problems. Recording to the data of a survey, 56% of the user accessing internet is under-18 population. They are not able to recover by themselves, which might cause them to be depressed, despair and upset when they are being bullied.
All in all, even though the internet brings us a more convenient life, there are still a lot of problems of it. It is good to use the internet wisely to find the things you want, but be cautious, internet is like a merciless animal. If you give your back of it, it will hurt you deeply.
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Information Leaflet on Qing Ming Festival.” We also have the “Wellington English Competition” across our Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Shanghai campuses.
“JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Benson Zhu” Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold monthly writing competitions. January’s challenge was to write a series of three poems, one quatrain each, that celebrate Spring Festival. We’re very pleased to have Benson Zhu from G7B with us today who earned second place in the competition! We welcome you to listen to Benson as he interviews with Mr. Speers and ushers in the Year of the Tiger! Second Place Poem Below;
Celebrating The New Year by Benson Zhu 7B
New Year
People hustle back to their hometown,
From places where they have worked year-round.
Thoughts of meeting with family members in mind,
Spring festival is a happy reunion time.
Firecracker
Firecracker reaching the sky,
Showed off for a while.
Parents help children cover their ears,
Smoke’s dust was extinguished.
Hongbao
Hongbao are given to everyone young,
When they show respect to the elderly ones.
Special snacks are sold here and there,
In packages with wishing words everywhere.
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Information Leaflet on Qing Ming Festival.”
“JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Karen Zhang” Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold monthly writing competitions. January’s challenge was to write a series of three poems, one quatrain each, that celebrate Spring Festival. We’re very pleased to have Karen Zhang from G7A with us today who earned third place in the competition! She is our first returning competition winner, as Karen earned first place in the ‘Importance of Travel’ competition. We welcome you to listen to Karen as she interviews with Mr. Speers and ushers in the Year of the Tiger!
Third Place Poem Below;
Poems about Chinese New Year by Karen Zhang 7A
Chapter 1 - The excitement of reunion
As the dawn awoke,
the sonorous firecrackers covered my voice.
When these warmest wishes came,
the bright lights shone on our warm tears and red faces.
Chapter 2 - The loneliness of wanderers
People are falling into a festive atmosphere except me.
These rain and snowflakes are impure and piercing.
What can I show to my family - my achievements - how?
Not these slender salaries from a lonely wanderer.
Chapter 3 - Welcome, 2022
We will pick up a new petal for our lives
As they stop regretting about those lost times.
As the sherbet starts to melt,
Another lively spring will arrive by herself.
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Information Leaflet on Qing Ming Festival.”
“JH English Monthly Writing Competitions – Poseidon Wu” Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold monthly writing competitions. January’s challenge was to write a series of three poems, one quatrain each, that celebrate Spring Festival. We’re very pleased to have Poseidon Wu from G8D with us today who earned first place in the competition! We welcome you to please listen to Poseidon as he interviews with Ms. Taylor and ushers in the Year of the Tiger!
First Place Poem Below;
The Lazy Happiness by Poseidon Wu. The hazy happiness Ⅰ
I sent a letter to the future,
In the letter was a red seed of expectation.
Which was growing by the time,
In full bloom in new year, eventually.
The hazy happiness Ⅱ
Amid the deep asleep the wind of spring blows up the eyebrow,
Departing from the dreamland is another wonderland.
Boundless firecrackers remind what the time is,
Stand in a flourishing view and walk by the people’s shouts.
The hazy happiness Ⅲ
The crowd dined with delight,
The sight expressed the inner thrill.
People were moved by reunion again,
Thus, the blessedness ever remembered.
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Information Leaflet on Qing Ming Festival.”
Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold their monthly writing competitions. Our second competition was a personal narrative writing competition titled ‘Oops,’ where students had to write about a mistake they made and what they learned from it. Please listen to Steve Li from G7C have a brief interview with Mr. Speers and share his wonderful story which earned him First Place!
First Place Article Below;
Whoops…
By Steve Li
Have you ever made a mistake that created loads of embarrassment and made you cringe? Did you panic under pressure? Was it solved? These questions may as well remind you of agitating, discomforting and problematic oversights that you have made in the past, however I believe that the assumptions that people have on mistakes are wrong. I think that mistakes are the foundations of success; furthermore, as the saying goes, “Mistakes help you learn!” Now, let’s introduce my three steps to learn from a mistake method! This works in mainly 3 steps. Firstly, you need to recognize and identify your mistake. Secondly, you need to be self-confident to admit your mistake. And lastly, you must be courageous about making changes to avoid making it again. With all this being said, let’s explore a mistake that I made just today!
“Ahh, how tiring!” I whispered underneath my breath. I jumped onto the soft, cozy and navy-blue sofa like an exhausted beast. I just came back from an energy-draining jog. I searched around the coffee table for the TV remote and clicked the “ON” button. Furthermore, I flipped through the different channels; despite the first few programs being boring, nevertheless I continued to go through the channels.
Then suddenly, “Boom chakalaka” I thought to myself, “I’ve got it, there it is!” I have found the documentary that I desperately craved to watch. On the TV, the documentarist is walking through a wynd (FUN FACT: Wynd is a word, try searching it on dictionary.com!) in New York City. However, all of a sudden, there was a “Ding”.
Not knowing was going to come, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, and it displayed a WeChat notification. I clicked on the notification and after a quick Face ID scan, I was in. The WeChat APP opened and on the very top of my list of contacts is my violin teacher. I tapped on her profile photo, then my blood ran cold. There was supposed to be an additional violin lesson today and I have completely forgot about it! “What should I do?” I panicked and nearly lost my marbles.
“Although this was an extremely silly mistake,” I thought to myself, “I shouldn’t cry over spilled milk.” Then I immediately remembered my three steps method to learn from a mistake. So, firstly I need to identify my mistake which is forgetting violin class. Secondly, I am supposed to admit my mistake, so I sent an apologies text to my violin teacher to explain why I was late, how awfully sorry I was for failing to remember my additional violin class, and how I will never let that happen again. Last but not least, I must do something to avoid making the mistake again. Therefore, I decided to make reminders in my calendar APP on my phone to remind me for lessons and other important tasks.
In the end, my violin teacher has forgiven me for forgetting the lesson, since it was just an unusual accident, and the apologies letter showed how desperately sorry I was. How do you feel about the way I have solved the problems my mistake has caused? And do you think the changes I have made is going to be effective? I think my 3 steps to learn from a mistake is . So maybe next time you made a mistake, try my 3 steps to learn from a mistake method! And I wish you can feel less guilty and more confident in facing mistakes, get out of any trouble and most importantly make a change!
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Celebrating Spring Festival Through Poetry"
Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold their monthly writing competitions. Our second competition was a personal narrative writing competition titled ‘Oops,’ where students had to write about a mistake they made and what they learned from it. Please listen to Vicky Cai from G7B have a brief interview with Ms. Taylor and share her fantastic story which earned her third place.
Third Place Article Below;
My Mistake by Vicky Cai 7B
Everyone makes mistakes. The lure of electronic products is very strong for us, children. There are short videos that you can brush down (it doesn't really make sense but we say it like that in Chinese). Each video takes one or two minutes. Although it's a quick brush, it becomes an hour unknowingly！
I have my iPad on because I can search something on iPad when I don't know something. But sometimes when I want to translate or search something, I am always attacked by some Ad Video or something like that.
Once I was doing my homework, I put my iPad in front of me because I thought it was um, convenient? I looked up. Mom was out. I was left alone to do my homework, and I thought, there's plenty of time to watch videos first. It won't be long, anyway. I'll just be quick afterwards. That's it. Then I clicked on a software that everyone is familiar to Tiktok.
Although each short video didn't take much time, I spent a lot of time looking at it. When I went down, down, down. That was more than an hour. Mom would be back in half an hour.
I was very anxious about how to finish those bunch of homework. In half an hour, then I came up with a very good idea. I tried to search for answers on the internet and I found exact same exercise sheet. I was very excited about that, especially they also have the whole process written down. So I can copy that. It is feeling like that I found a treasure in the deep ocean. I felt as relaxed as a hot air balloon.
Ten minutes passed. I have finished all of my subject homework. That is splendid, I smiled with satisfaction, and began watching videos again.
After my mother came back, I was excited to show her my papers. I finished five papers and my mother praised me. I was so fast. I was so efficient. Great idea, I thought. That's what I am going to do next time.
However, when I am planning what video games I am going to play next she suddenly angrily called me to come over. She YELLED AT me, “where on earth did you copy your answers!”
I couldn't admit it. If I did. I was sure I would have to do all my papers again, and my computer would be confiscated.
She tested me some questions on the paper, and she found out that I couldn’t do any of them. I was very afraid that she would find out that I was lying. Finally, I obediently admitted to her that I had scanned the video and looked up answers online.
Mom was very angry because she thought good children should admit their mistakes at the first time.
I have learned a lesson from this mistake and learned a lot: While doing homework, we are also reviewing and consolidating the knowledge we have learned. Use this to test whether we are solid in learning and if there are loopholes. We will consolidate the problems that are impossible or that are wrong. The homework is done for self-examination, not for parents.
It's not terrible to make the wrong answers, but the terrible thing is that I don't know what went wrong. When Edison tried 99 times without success, a friend asked him: "You have failed 99 times, why continue? What a stupid person." Edison replied, "How can this be called a failure." What I learned was that these 99 materials were all wrong. I wouldn’t use them in subsequent experiments.” Also in our life and study, we occasionally make mistakes, but as long as we learn the lessons of failure and don't take the same wrong way, your life path will become broad and smooth.
You could be on featured on Dukebox in the future too if you participate in our writing competitions! Our competition this month is “Celebrating Spring Festival Through Poetry"
Huili JH English Department are continuing to hold their monthly writing competitions. Our second competition was a personal narrative writing competition titled ‘Oops,’ where students had to write about a mistake they made and what they learned from it. Please listen to Jessica Zhang from G9A have a brief interview with Ms. Taylor and share her fantastic story which earned her second place.
Second Place Article Below;
Oops by Jessica Zheng
We always make mistakes that we are ashamed to talk about. It could be something very awkward, like mistaking someone random on the street as your friend. It also could be something causing your unhappiness, like in the test when you correct an answer on your test paper, afterwards you find out the answer you rubbed out is the correct one. We always make mistakes. And in this article, I’m going to talk about a mistake I made that I can’t forget away.
It was a long period of time ago, I was studying in primary school for year one. I was new to the school, and I was obviously very little, so I am very unfamiliar with the school that I only studied for a few days. It was the cleaning day that morning, where we all needs to bring a small duster to wipe our table and chair. I was following everyone to the toilet to get some water, by the way our sink was installed apart outside of the toilet. I went there and I saw a bunch of people lining up squeezing to the sink. I felt I should be squeezed into a pancake if I really get in there, so I didn’t squeeze in like others did. While I was waiting in the corridor, I saw another bar of sink where there’s no one there, I felt strange but my time is pushing me hard, so I went straight towards it.
After a few seconds, there is a boy who went next to me, also washing his duster. Something is there that I didn’t felt quite right until a boy next to me spoke “Jessica?” he said, “why are you in the boy’s toilet?” After that, a few more boys starts to go along with him. I felt my face are going extremely hot and red in a numinous rate, my heart started to bump loud as if I could hear them. I try to calm my self down, and said to them “there’s no more sinks left in the girl’s toilet to let me use.” I finished washing the duster as fast as I can in my life and pretend to walk like there’s nothing ever happened or I never care. I took a glance as I walked off, the sign outside is the boy’s cartoon image. I guess that’s why I felt so strange of, how can there be two bars of sink in the girl’s toilet!
Although many years had flowed by from when the incident has happened, but I could still feel the awkwardness that I faced at that time when I was writing this article. Nothing seems embarrassing enough in my primary school life compared to this, though I still made a lot of mistakes. The one thing that I learned from this experience, is maybe to always look clear before you decide to do something, especially toilet signs. Mistakes are never scary, it helps us to grow, and help us to learn more and more.
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Huili JH English Department is now holding monthly writing competitions. Our first ever competition was an article writing competition on ‘The Importance of Travel.’ Please listen to Dora Chen from 8A have a brief interview with Ms. Taylor and share her fantastic travel article which earned her third place.
Third Place Article Below;
The importance of travel by Dora Chen
Nowadays, more and more students put extra more efforts into their study and have no chance to experience the outside world. As a veteran traveler, I’m aware of the benefits that travelling brought to me and the impact it had on my life, so I concluded the following points.
Firstly, Dong Qi Chang once said:” Traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books.” Students can learn about local history and culture while travelling. For instance, they can learn the construction techniques of the Great Wall, the preservation of mummies at the pyramids of Egypt and the untold history beneath ancient ruins. Learners can also use the knowledge that they earn while travelling into their schoolwork, expand their horizons by seeing a variety of sights, not just one small city or country. This knowledge can then help with aspects of their everyday life such as schoolwork. This is a benefit of expanding our horizons beyond a hometown or home country.
Secondly, scientists say people under constant stress will tend to break down, so traveling is a good way to relieve stress. Let’s imagine someone walking through the famous Singapore Botanic Gardens, a variety of flowers appear in front their eyes and refreshing fragrance surrounds the tip of their nose. Many people in different parts of the world approach life in extinct ways, in order to help students to look at the world in a different perspective and to make friends with them.
Last but not least, the most important reason why I recommend students to go travelling is that they can learn new skills. Students need to manage their time, plan their routine, and solve tough problems that they meet while travelling. Learners can learn different skills when they experience difficulties by themselves, gain experience from it and become more independent. Overall, there are many advantages to travelling and seeing the world. If you often don't know what to do, remember the words of Dong Qi Chang and seek new horizons.
You could be on featured on Dukebox next if you participate in our writing competitions!”
Huili JH English Department is now holding monthly writing competitions. Our first ever competition was an article writing competition on ‘The Importance of Travel.’ Please listen to Walter Lai from 7E have a brief interview with Mr Speers and share his fantastic travel article which earned him second place.
Second Place Article Below;
Traveling
Traveling has been performing an increasingly active role in the modern society. This social phenomenon has aroused a heated debate among the public. Some people deem traveling is a waste of time and money, however, my viewpoint is that traveling has a great amount of advantages. Undeniably traveling to different place s does have some negative effects on our lives.
First, it would cost a great deal of money, because when people travel to different places they need to spend money on hotels, foods, and many other things. Second, since we need to walk a lot during the trip, sometimes we will feel that traveling is very tiring . Third, some people have been disillusioned with how commercialized the scenic spots have become.
On the other hand, it is commonly held that traveling can bring numerous benefits to our lives. First, it can enable us to understand other cultures and traditions better. When we visit a foreign country, we are exposed to exotic cultures, which gives us an opportunity to experience foreign lifestyles in person. Moreover traveling can make people happier. When people travel to different places, they can temporarily forget about the problems that they are worried about. They can just relax and have fun, so traveling is also a very ideal way to relieve stress. Finally it will be a wonderful memory when people get older. Tourists usually take a substantial number of pictures when traveling to different places, and after a few years, when they look at the pictures again, it will remind them of the happy moments they enjoyed.
It is my belief that traveling to different places has a great amount of advantages. Take myself as an example, I have traveled to many different places such as Hong Kong and Singapore, and it really has broadened my horizon and enriched my knowledge. I visited Osaka , Japan two years ago, and I did many amazing things there. I went to a very famous ancient temple to pray, attended a traditional tea ceremony and I even had a karate lesson, which were very novel to me. I remember when I was there, my sister was wearing a Kimono and when a lot of Japanese saw her, they all came to ask my sister, Can I take a photo with you? You are so cute" so we spent lots of time taking photos with them. Now, when my sister sees the photos, she will remember the beautiful Sakura and the enthusiastic people.
To summarize, based on the above analysis, I have reached the conclusion that traveling can create a massive amount of positive effects on our lives. I strongly encourage people, especially young people, to travel to different places as much as they can only by stepping out of your life and into the world, can you see what you deeply care about. Traveling is a fantastic privilege. It allows us to do so much that maybe we could never have dreamed of doing.
Walter Lai
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